"I am confident that all that we have done is to the benefit
of Crimea and Crimeans," he added.

People spoke about their excitement and joy. For instance, a
35-year-old waitress, Tatiana, said it was her “moment of
happiness.”

Her colleague Inna agreed.

"We have returned home. We were born on Moscow time and we
are back to it again," Inna told Reuters.

Crimea set his clocks to Kiev time in 1996.

The ceremony follows the region’s formal joining the Russian
Federation on March 21. Other Crimeans, apart from Simferopol,
the region’s capital, were expected to switch their clocks at
2:00 am on Sunday, AFP reported.

The Russian ruble has already been introduced as the region’s
official currency, with pensions and salaries being paid out in
rubles.

Russian officials are also helping the local authorities to bring
Crimea’s legal and tax regulations in line with Russian law, a
process that is set to finish by the end of the year.